# Walk in humi - wine cellar cooling unit?



## Just1ce (Dec 9, 2011)

I did a search and there was some limited discussion of similar ideas but from several years ago so I thought it was ok to post my questions.

I have been considering a small walk-in humidor using about half of a storage room in my basement. I'm getting a little tired of having 5 different humidors and having to move stuff back and forth, reorganize, and check humidity. I had considered a large cabinet humidor or a wineador but the cost would be relatively high for something that I seem bound to still run out of space in or be stuck having to rummage through to find the cigars I'm looking for. My main reason for interest in the walk-in is that I would like to do a combination wine cellar and humidor in the same room, as well as have ample storage space for cigars and be able to find what I'm looking for without having to rummage through everything.

My primary concerns with this idea are:

Is it ok to store wine in the same space as cigars? There would not be a ton of wine bottles in there and any that are would be unopened and stored in a rack or on a shelf. Obviously, dropping/breaking a wine bottle in there could be bad news and would have to be cleaned up right away, but I don't anticipate that as being an issue. Wine would be stored on the opposite wall as the cigars.

In my situation humidity is relatively easy as I have used primarily humidity beads in my current humidors, but there are a number of active humidification devices out there and I'm open to suggestions as to what may work best. My area also already stays pretty humid during nearly 3/4 of the year so any humidification device wouldn't have to work too hard until the fall/winter months.

Temperature is my main concern as it can get very warm in this area of my home during the summer months and very cool during the winter. The basement is not yet air conditioned as most of it is not finished off. I keep the thermostat at 67 during the winter and 77 during the summer for the main level. The basement can go under 60 degrees during the winter and as high as 75-76 during the summer. I did some searching on wine cellar cooling units and found a couple possibilities within my price range. I'm thinking keeping a unit like this at 65 degrees would be optimal for preventing beetle infestation and prevent too high a swing in temp throughout the year.

KoolSpace KoolR (ChillR) 300 | Compact Small-Scale Cooling

Wine-Mate 1500CD - Wine Cellar Cooling System - Vinotemp

These two units looked appealing with the former also claiming to regulate humidity. I could install one of these above the door to keep the temps from swinging too wildly. Has anyone used anything similar and what was the result? Is there anything I should be concerned about with these that will make them less than optimal for this use?

The size of the room would be about 8 feet high x 6 feet wide x 5-6 feet deep. Maybe slightly larger as I haven't done too much measurement yet. I probably wouldn't line the walls with spanish cedar right away though possibly down the road. I would use spanish cedar shelves and store cigars in their boxes/spanish cedar trays.

Any suggestions, input, words of wisdom, tips, tricks, and do-nots appreciated.

Also, should I be concerned with temps below 60 for the cigars? I know 65-70 is optimal. Should I be concerned with finding a device that will regulate temperature overall and not just cool the cigars to maintain a steady 65 or is a 60-65 range ok?


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## MDSPHOTO (Sep 10, 2013)

Others can speak to the feasibility of this idea better than I, but I have a wine cellar and a Wine Mate unit that keeps the temps at 59-61 degrees at all times. I would not think to put my cigars in there due the cold and shifts in humidity in winter & summer. Like everywhere else in your house the wine cellar is moister in the summer and drier in the winter. If you decide to build a DIY walk-in and want to use the wine chiller you should follow the steps in the link below to get a good seal.

Building Your Own Wine Room / Wine Cellar


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## border bandit (Feb 26, 2012)

I built a walk in last year and used this: CellarPro 1800XTS Cooling Unit. It actually does a great job of controlling temp and humidity. The temps stay around 64-67 and the humidity moves between 64-67. The rh is controlled via a "FON" setting, which is 1-8, no exact number like most active humidifiers. But, once you get it dialed in, its purrs like a kitten.

Now, my particular model is marketed as one of the quietest on the market. It does get a little loud. Nothing that interferes with normal conversation or watching tv, but it is noticeable. I looked at reviews on the ones that you are looking at compared to the one I got and it said that the Cellarpro was quieter. I never compared them in person, but can't think they are any much louder than mine.

I can't speak to your situation as I have this on the second floor in my house and temps in my house never get below 71* (I live in deep south TX where normal temps are in the mid to high 90's most of the year). I did insulate the room to keep rh and temps in, but I wouldn't know how to heat that area in your case. You can have the temps down below 60* and I'm sure people on here do keep their cigars below 60* for the duration of the winter for the ones that live in much colder places. I would think as long as they don't get near freezing you'll be fine. But, with the cold weather the rh in the ambient air will drop, thus making the cooling unit work harder trying to keep the rh stabilized. And, most units indicate that they can't safely be operated below 45*, so that means the rh function won't work properly if it gets too cold. They sell add on heaters for the wine coolers, but you're getting into some serious cash at that point. Then you may have to put a humidifier in the walk in during the colder months to keep it stabilized. It doesn't sound like your cooling unit will work very hard, just remember that unless you vent the exhaust to another room/outside, all that warm air from the unit is dumped right into the room that the unit is in.

I don't know anything about storing wine as I don't even drink it. I wouldn't see it making a difference storing it in there but I don't know how permeable the corks are and if the cigars stored in there would affect them. I'll leave that up to a wine expert.

I am sure I missed some kind of advice. If you have any other questions or want some pics, let me know.

I spent the better part of 5 years planning and saving for my smoke room/walk in. I'm really happy the way it turned out. I'm sure some will have a different angle on how they would have done it, but as my wife and my boss say, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Good luck.


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## Just1ce (Dec 9, 2011)

Thanks, Robert. That helps a lot. Venting the heat was another worry of mine. How much heat does it put out? My current plan would have the humi set up inside about half of a small storage room, but I'm wondering if the area is too small to effectively dissipate the heat. It might end up turning it into a sauna. I have had a dehumidifier in that same storage room before and it got REALLY warm during the summer months.

I have another option of venting it into my smoking room which might work ok since whenever I run the exhaust fans in there it should suck most of the heat out.


Thanks for that link too, David. I actually have some vapor barrier plastic underneath the drywall in my smoking room, but I actually hadn't thought about lining the humidor with it to help keep it sealed. I will definitely use that when I get around to building this thing.


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## border bandit (Feb 26, 2012)

It doesn't throw that much heat. I put a hydrometer on the exhaust vent one time to check and it registered about 78*. Not bad, but that coupled with a TV going, stereo receiver and halogen lights on - it got warm but not hot. My cooler vents directly into my smoke room. If it gets a little warm in there, I just turn on the ceiling fan. Course 80* is cold for me here. The cooler runs at the most 10-15 min per hour during hot days. These days during the winter, it maybe turns on 4 times a day for 10 min at a time. 

I downloaded a bunch of info from different websites when it came to my smoke room and the walk in. I'll dig them up if I still have them on my external HD. For the walk in, I used closed cell spray foam insulation in stead of plastic sheeting. Once the foam cures, it becomes a vapor barrier. I went that route because I needed/wanted the insulation properties too. Threw up green sheet rock, painted with a mold resistant paint (not really needed but more piece of mind) and used an exterior grade, insulated door. Some say it may be over kill, but the only way your going to keep cold air/rh in and warm air out is to have a properly insulated door with weatherstripping. The company I got the cooler from told me the more money you invest into the walkin's insulation and moisture barrior , the less the machine is going to have to work (I.e. less electricity and less wear on the machine). 

I ended up lining the walk in with Spanish cedar veneer on the walls, cedar crown and trim molding with the cedar shelves. But you don't have to do this at all. I saw some buildes that guys were using the wire mesh shelving from the home depot or Lowes and left the cigars in the boxes or put them in cedar trays. I only went that route because I worked a ton of overtime so that I could have it the way I envisioned it in my head.


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## MDSPHOTO (Sep 10, 2013)

Not sure about the model Robert has but mine requires a vent outside or into another room with clean air at least equal in size to the room which the unit is cooling. Most of the units have a PDF of their manual available online you should read to help you plan your install.


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## border bandit (Feb 26, 2012)

MDSPHOTO said:


> Not sure about the model Robert has but mine requires a vent outside or into another room with clean air at least equal in size to the room which the unit is cooling. Most of the units have a PDF of their manual available online you should read to help you plan your install.


Yeah, mine is the exact same way. I orginally wanted to run a duct and have it exhaust outside or maybe a cap on the attic roof, but after letting it run for a bit I realized that the heat wasn't going to be an issue.


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## SanFranFlyFish (Apr 26, 2014)

14 years ago I built a walk-in wine cellar 8'H x 5'W x 8'D using a no-longer-manufactured wall-mount refrigeration unit similar to those mentioned in this thread. It has run continuously at 55°F and 69% rH ever since. I lined the walls, ceiling and floor with 4" thick sheet foam insulation. Only problem is that the refrigeration unit occasionally frosts/ices up and I then shut the unit down for 1-2 hours.

I'd be tempted to use it as a wineador, but I'm not sure the cigars would like 55° and my wine certainly would balk at 68°.


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## smknjoecool (Oct 11, 2013)

There are a few guys around here who keep their cigars at 50-55%. I think TonyBrooklyn is one. I keep mine at 60% and they are great.


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